Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1992

From: Michael Pemberton <michaelp@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>

Laura Bow 2: Dagger Of Amon Ra

Introduction

So, you didn't have enough with finding heaps of bodies and almost getting

killed in the Colonel's Bequest. Now you want to find even more bodies (in

even more grisly condition) and almost get killed again. Some people just

never learn, huh? (grin)

The first thing you should do is sit through one playing of the game's

introduction. This sets up the mystery to follow, and also provides a valuable

clue or two for the end game.

Throughout this walkthru, I will be making the assumption that whenever you

examine something, you are doing it with both the naked eye and the magnifying

glass (so I won't have to keep repeating myself ;). This is very important, as

often you will not see a critical piece of evidence if you don't use the

glass...and you do have to see pretty much everything (as well as taking

anything that isn't nailed down, in the usual tradition of adventure games).

I will also be assuming that you're saving the game as you go along, just as a

precaution. Even with a walkthru in hand, it's easy to make a little mistake

and find yourself dead, or head into a new Act without some vital item.

Certain places are more dangerous than others, and I will warn you

specifically to save at those points...but be sure to do it regularly

throughout the game nonetheless.

Act I is fairly standard stuff, and it's hard to go wrong there. After that,

the next four acts take place in the museum, and the clock advances and acts

changed based on both time and actions. So, especially in Act III, time may

drag a little. If you've done everything, just be patient. Eventually the

action will pick up (and when you get to Act V, you may wish things were a bit

slower!).

In Act VI, where you make your accusations, you have to be very careful. One

mistake here could bring Laura to an untimely end, and we don't want that.

This is particularly true since you can't save in this segment, so you have to

get it all right the first time.

Finally, two maps come with the game. One is a layout of the main level, and

is on the "museum card" that comes in the game box. The other is a rough

drawing of the lower level in the Leyendecker guide book. Since these are

available, most of the time I'll just be telling you which rooms to visit

without giving the directions. With the maps at hand, you should be able to

find your way to various locations without any trouble.

Act I

Okay, so here you are, Laura Bow, hotshot reporter for a great metropolitan

newspaper with an unusually long name (heh). After you pass Rube's simple

Egyptology question (the game's copy protection of sorts; if you happen to be

up on your Egyptology, you probably don't even need the stuff in the manual),

have a seat at your desk.

This will bring up a view of the blotter. Lift the lower right corner to get

the drawer key. Open the drawer and take the press pass inside. That's all in

the desk, so investigate the trash can next. Hmmm...a baseball, eh? Who knows,

maybe you can break a window with it or something.

These are the only things to find in the office. Now have a chat with Rube and

ask him about everything that's in your notebook. When you've exhausted his

fund of knowledge, it's time to hit the streets and do some investigative

legwork of your own.

Much of what follows can be done in almost any order, at least to a point. So

if you're already playing the game and did things a little differently, don't

worry about it. By the way, the museum is closed and will stay closed until

you're ready for the big party, so there's no reason to go there until the end

of Act I.

Let's try the police station first. Touch the taxi sign with the hand icon,

and wave your press pass at Rocco (who must have a very poor memory, since you

have to show him your pass every time you ride in the cab).

When you arrive at the precinct, you'll find a drunk snoring away on the

sidewalk. Amazing that the cops let him sleep here. Anyway, go over there and

try to wake him up (use the hand icon; talking doesn't work too well). He

isn't interested, and turns over. That's enough for now; step inside and have

a brief talk with the desk sergeant.

Not very cooperative, is he? However, his outburst holds a clue to what can

soften him up a little, namely some food. Keep that in mind as you head for

the office door in back and a visit with Detective O'Riley.

This portion is all automatic, and O'Riley isn't any more helpful than the

sergeant; in fact, he may even be worse. At least you got a look at the skimpy

police report before he kicked you out. Don't bother trying to get back in

again; this is the one and only time you'll see O'Riley until the museum fund

raiser this evening.

When you leave the station, you'll note that the drunk has gone, but his

newspaper is there on the sidewalk. Picking it up and examining it shows you a

coupon for a free corned beef sandwich. Just the thing for Flaherty! Now all

you have to do is find Luigi.

Which isn't all that difficult, since he just appeared outside the paper. Take

the taxi back to the Trib, and exchange the coupon for a sandwich. Poor Luigi;

for some businesses, modern advertising methods don't work too well. But you

have what you need, so taxi on over to the precinct house again.

Give the sandwich to the sergeant, who will now be happy to answer any of your

questions. As it turns out, he knows very little about most things, but he has

one piece of important info, namely the password to the speakeasy (which

conveniently appears in the back of your notebook).

Time to visit the laundry. Outside, you'll see three kids burning up ants (an

old New York pastime, no doubt ;) with a magnifying glass. Stinky isn't a very

pleasant kid, but Biff is a bit more mellow. Offer your baseball to him, and

you'll get the magnifying glass. Step inside and have a talk with Lo Fat, he

will give you information about Yvette Delacroix, Dr. Olympia Myklos,

Wolf Heimlich, and a few other people.

After this, take a ride to the docks and meet Steve Dorian. He'll give you the

information that Carrington was picked up by the Countess Waldorf-Carlton, and

her name is now in your little black book. That's about all you'll get from

Steve, and I know you really want to have a peek at the speakeasy, so make

that your next stop.

After saying the secret word, talk to Ziggy who is sitting at the first table

on your right. This will add another name or two to your book, and acquaint

you with the Amon Ra riddle, which is of critical importance later on (of

course, since you have this walkthru, you don't really have to puzzle out the

answers, but you might want to try figuring it out before you get down to Act

V of the game).

In the rear right is the door to the Women's Lounge, currently inhabited by a

not very savory flapper. You can interrogate her, although you won't learn

very much. That takes care of your first visit to the speak.

When you call for a taxi, you'll notice that you finally get a different

driver, namely Bob The Slob. Filthy would be an understatement for the

condition of his vehicle. However, all that trash is about to provide you

with a very necessary item.

Don't be in a hurry to give a destination. Instead, start moving around the

trash that is just to the right of Laura. Do this by putting the hand icon on

a piece of garbage, holding down the mouse button, and dragging the trash

away. At the very bottom, you will uncover an old laundry ticket. Now you can

have Bob drive you to Lo Fat's.

As probably guessed, you exchange the ticket for an evening gown. Still in

pretty good shape after two years on the rack (good thing it didn't go to rack

and ruin, eh? ;). Now all you have to do is speed back to the speakeasy, and

change clothes in the women's room (under the beady eyes of the flapper;

definitely NOT a nice person). Once you're in the fancy get-up, the program

takes over and whisks you automatically to the museum entrance....and a whole

lot of trouble! (grin)

ACT II

All right, you sashay up them steps, and meet Wolf Heimlich, museum security

chief and stormtrooper-in-training. You don't get to speak to Wolf unitl later in the game. Hand him your press pass and step into the museum.

Fancy layout, huh? They sure could build some nice things in the old days,

when money went much further than it does today. A lot of snobbery went along

with those bucks, though, so don't bother trying to talk to anyone but the

main characters, because you won't get a response.

What you have to do here is waltz back and forth and eavesdrop on a total of

fourteen different conversations. You may want to write the numbers 1-14 on a

piece of paper and cross them off as they occur to help you keep track of

them. Remember to talk to the suspects and future victims as well (there will

be time for this inbetween the conversations). They have some interesting and

important things to say.

Also during your peregrinations, be sure to pick up an empty glass. This will

come in handy later on, for listening in on people behind closed doors. Sorry

to say, however, you won't be able to try any of the fine food and drink being

offered (considering the strenuous evening ahead of her, you'd think Laura

would be allowed at least a little something; she hasn't eaten all day!).

When you've finished with the conversations (Steve Dorian is here, too, and is

likely to be the last one you listen in on), stroll over to the museum Gift

Shoppe, which has been left conveniently unlocked for you. Most of the stuff

in here is just the usual junk reproductions, but those daggers in the case

look interesting.

Scope 'em out with your magnifying glass. Made in Pittsburgh, eh? They do

pretty good work there. Well well, what's this near the end? Funny, this

dagger doesn't have "made in Pittsburgh" on it. Do you suppose....naahhh, it

just couldn't be THE dagger, could it?

Well, of course it is, but you have no way of getting it right now. The locked

case is locked and there's nothing you can do about it. Besides, good old

Wolfie just goose-stepped into the room and kicked you out.

At least this gives you the opportunity to have a romantic interlude with

Steve the wannabe artist and sometime stevedore (he also walks a lot like

Robbie the Robot for some reason). When the moonlight walk is over and you're

back in the museum, it's time to do a little exploring.

You'll note that all the main characters have, by this time, more or less

disappeared from view. They'll be turning up again throughout the game, in one

condition or another (usually dead ;). For now, head into the Mastodon Room,

then north to the T. Rex exhibit, and pick up the bone. You never know when a

heavy old bone might come in handy.

Continue on through the Armor Room and into the Egyptian exhibit, far left.

Since this is a murder mystery, you just *know* there's a body in one of those

mummy cases. In case you had any doubts, there is also a small pool of blood

and an ankh in front of one of them.

Before you go discovering any corpses, though, pick up the ankh and take some

time to view the half Rosetta stone on display. This will put the hieroglyphs

in your notebook.

Now you can open that mummy case, and get a wonderful view of Dr. Pippin

Carter, complete with fake dagger through his chest. Marvelous sight, eh?

Maybe not eating earlier wasn't such a bad idea, after all. After examining

the body, grab the notebook from his jacket and exit the close-up. This will

bring O'Riley to the scene and conclude Act II.

Act III

This is the longest act of the game, with much to see and do, so remember to

save often. Once the automatic part at the beginning of the act ends, it's

time to do some major snooping around the museum.

Let's visit the Old Masters Gallery first. Just because there's been a murder

doesn't mean you can't take out a little time for art appreciation (heh).

Actually, there is a lot more here than is first apparent. For instance, there

is a gleam from one of the pictures. What could this be?

Click the eye on the lower right (for some reason, it has to be the lower

right corner) of the painting. A close-up with the magnifying glass shows a

skeleton key! However, it's stuck pretty tight on the canvas, and you have no

way of getting it right now. Just remember this later on.

Now check out the other paintings. Hmmm...some of them seem a bit recent, eh?

If you touch them, you'll discover that most are still wet, and you actually

smear the paint! Get the feeling that some of these "old masters" may not be

so old, and may even be forgeries? There sure are a lot of strange things

going on in this museum.

While you ponder that, continue on to the hallway with the statue of Rodin's

The Thinker. Ah, voices coming from behind Yvette's door. Quickly you whip out

your trusty drinking glass and listen in. Unfortunately, just as she and

Olympia are getting to the good part, they lower their voices. Darn!

That's all you're going to get from spying right now, so go over and examine

the statue. Good stuff, except there appears to be something a trifle odd

about the neck. Give it a push. The head slides up, and The Thinker looks

really odd now. And in the distance, you hear something heavy move. Let's go

find out what that was.

Well well, you uncovered the museum's stairway down to the lower level...and

what timing, you managed it just as the light bulb burned out. Not everyone

has talent like that!

Fortunately, a replacement is not far away. Return to Yvette's office and go

inside (no one is there now). Turn off the desk lamp. Since the bulb is still

hot, you'll have to wait awhile before you can take it.

Pass the time by going into Carrington's office. Do we hear some voices from

the previous room? Out comes the glass for another round of I Spy, this time

on Yvette and Najeer. Busy lady, that Yvette.

When they're done, check out Carrington's desk, especially the phone book and

the intercom. Bet you could listen in on some other neat conversations with

that thing! And besides, it's part of your job (grin).

The phone book has some cute names in it, particularly B.Sayff. That's so

obvious, you might be tempted to overlook it. Don't, because that "phone

number" is actually the combination to the safe behind the painting over the

fireplace. Inside is Carlton's diary, which does not shed any good light on

his widow. My my.

Before leaving, check out the fireplace and grab the piece of coal. Bet you

were wondering how to read the marks on Carter's notepad, weren't you? Well,

now you have the right item, so use the coal on the pad. Aww shucks, it just

has a list of his appointments for that evening.

Anyway, that bulb is cool now, so go back to Yvette's and pick it up. While

there, also pick up the carbon paper in the trash basket. You'll be able to

read it soon enough. In fact, just as soon as you've replaced the dead bulb at

the stairway; hold the carbon paper up to the light.

Gosh, it seems just about everyone around here has some dirty little secret,

doesn't it? Even Ernie has something to hide. You may notice that the carbon

paper vanishes from your inventory after you read it. I don't know why that

happens, but it won't affect the outcome of the game, so you needn't worry

over its disappearance.

So you traipse down the stairs to the lower level, and duck into the Alcohol

Preservation Lab. Smelly place, isn't it? And yes, another conversation behind

a door for you to listen to. Hmmmm...sounds like Ernie may be heading for some

big time trouble.

But that's his problem, and you have other things to do down here. Check out

those vats (later you can read Ernie's book and see what's in all of them).

Say, doesn't number thirteen (lucky number) seem to have been used rather

recently? Let's look into this.

Swish....swish....swish....what fun....let's hope you don't faint from all the

fumes (something that could happen if you look into more than two vats at a

time, so don't ever do that! ;).

Hey, ya got something. It's shiny...it's real gold...it has a sharp point..and

it *doesn't* have "made in Pittsburgh" on it. Yessiree, you just found the one

and only, original, genuine, real McCoy, honest-to-gosh Dagger Of Amon Ra!

(rah rah for you! ;).

However, that doesn't mean you're near the end of the game. There are still

corpses to be found, people to spy on, places to find, and things to do. This

is barely the start!

You can visit the storage room in back, but you won't be able to do anything

there as yet, since Dr. Myklos is looking for one of her pets. Good thing it's

just her ferret, and not Barney (you'll meet him later, hehehe).

Okay, you've got the dagger, so now you can pry that key off the painting

(sometimes these ancient artifacts do come in handy). Uh-huh...as you pass

Yvette's office...more voices. This is especially interesting, so listen good.

While you digest this revelation, pay a visit to Dr. Myklos' office. There in

the cage, upper left, is Barney the pet cobra. I wouldn't get too close to

him; those fangs look nasty, and the venom they hold is nastier yet.

Instead, check out what's under the cloth on the right-hand side. Aha, it's

the other half of the Rosetta stone. Look this over to get the second half of

the alphabet into your little black book.

There is an inscription on the blackboards, but sorry to say, one has nothing to

do with the game. For those who insist on knowing (and don't want to take the

time to do the translation), it says: "I pay homage to thee, ye lords of

eternity. Ra, strong is thy sail in the wind as thou sailest over the lake of

fire in the underworld. Behold Shu the mother creating the gods".

The other black board is the riddle and the answers. "What is the room

that you leave without entering?" the answer is "Womb."

"What is the room you enter without leaving?" the answer is "Tomb."

Now take a peek at the snake oil on the desk. As you try to pick it up, Dr.

Myklos arrives and grabs it herself. She'll mention what snake oil does, and

also tell you about a bunch of cobras on the loose somewhere in the museum.

Wonderful place, this museum. Burglaries, murders, forged paintings, deadly

snakes roaming around...you were probably a lot safer in the Colonel's house.

However, there's nothing much you can do but carry on, so you better start

carrying on.

By now it should be safe enough to nip downstairs, break the glass with the

dinosaur bone, and grab the lantern. If you do this too soon, Wolfie shows up,

and we don't want that to happen.

It's about time to find another body. You'll love this one. Trek upstairs to

the dinosaur exhibit. Ick! A corpse impaled by the pterodactyl...and it has no

head! Boy, were you smart not to eat anything at the shindig, cause you'd

probably have lost it by now ;).

Still, we have to figure out who this latest victim is (or was). Now, if you

had done this atrocious murder, where would you put the head? Of course, you'd

stick it in the Life Mask exhibit. So naturally you run right there and look

over the heads. Sure enough, there in the upper right, is poor Ziggy's head.

While he wasn't exactly the nicest of people, he certainly didn't deserve to

go out this way.

Your screams bring O'Riley and Wolfie to the scene. Fortunately, O'Riley

restrains Wolfie from having his own way, and lets you go. What a gentleman!

(Or is he?).

Say, did we get that key from the painting yet? Probably not, with everything

else that's been happening lately. Do that now, then go on to Yvette's office.

Hmmm...that paper cutter wasn't red the last time you were here. I wouldn't be

surprised if that was blood on the blade, and this is how Ziggy lost his head.

Which reminds us....it's been quite awhile since we saw Carrington roaming

around, hasn't it? I wonder what could have become of him? Where could he be?

You don't suppose.....

With some trepidation, you open the office door. Whoops! Looks like Carrington

just got the point from the killer (quite a line in impalings tonight; perhaps

the murderer is a descendant of Vlad). Anyway, check out the murder site for

clues (nothing to take this time, though).

Now we need to pass a little time, so hop downstairs to Wolfie's office. All

the weapons on the right-hand wall are electrified, except the broadsword, so

it's best not to touch them. You could try taking the sword, only that will

fall on you and bring you to a quick end. Best to leave all that alone.

What you do on this visit is check out all the books on the shelves on the

left-hand side. A careful search will show one book is in backwards. Now why

would that be? Well, well, well....beneath that Prussian exterior, Wolfie has

a little romance in his soul....and Yvette's garter as a bookmark. The lady

sure likes to (ahem) spread herself around (grin).

Okay, that should be enough, and you can return to Carrington's office to

catch a little chat between Smith and Yvette. Bet you never thought you'd be

spying on people while standing next to a corpse, huh? Bet they never taught

you that in journalism school, either ;).

When they've left, go back downstairs again. Ernie's office should be empty,

and you can pick up the snake catcher under his desk. Also open the toolbox

and grab the wirecutters (hmmm...beige material...have we seen anyone wearing

beige tonight?).

Step next door to Wolfie's. You might think that the wirecutters should be

used on the wire, but that would only lead to a shocking experience. Instead,

use the snake catcher on the mouse trap. Wow, that Wolfie doesn't kid around,

does he? At least now it's safe to take the cheese out of the trap.

With this done, you have to walk around a little until the hour strikes. At

that time, the storage room in the lab will be open. Now you can get in there

to investigate that mysterious trunk. First though, pick up the snake oil on

the table (Dr. Myklos must be the absentminded type), then get the disgusting

meat out of the cold storage locker.

All right, unlock the trunk and immediately drop the meat into it. The beetles

inside will troop off with their prize instead of devouring you on the spot.

Look into the trunk and....yes, another body. If you sat through the intro,

you're probably not surprised to see it here.

And you're probably not surprised by the watch inscribed to Dr. Carrington,

either, are you? It's been pretty obvious for awhile that Carrington was a

fake, which explains why so many weird things have been going on around the

museum.

When you're done with the trunk, head upstairs so you'll be in time to

overhear a VERY interesting and important conversation between O'Riley and

Yvette (you don't want to miss this one).

Sheesh, even O'Riley's crooked! At least that explains why the robbery report

was so skimpy, and why he didn't seem so interested in really following up on

the burglary. Boy, it looks like you can't trust ANYONE in this place. Good

thing you're picking up evidence as you find it!

Now you again have to walk around to pass some time until the next hour

strikes (2 AM). While you're doing that, stop off in the pterodactyl room and

cut a piece of wire. Get a close-up of the corpse, then use the cutters on the

wire in the upper left. Keep moving around, stopping in the armor room now and

then. Sooner or later, Wolfie and Myklos will march in, then march right out

again, and it will be time.

(Note: at some prior point in the act you can go and speak to Ernie in his office, but

I'm not sure of the time at which this occurs. Sorry! I'll go back and post it when I

find out!)

Time to find another corpse. Poor Ernie. Looks like someone tossed him into

one of the vats downstairs (no, you won't find any clues in any of the vats),

then draped him tastefully across the mastodon tusks. When you're done

examining him, the clock will advance again. Walk into the Old Masters room,

where you'll find Wolfie and O'Riley. Reporting the murder to them will end

Act III (and take careful note of what Wolfie is saying as you enter the

room).

The Dagger Of Amon Ra is copyrighted 1992 by Sierra On-Line Inc.

This walkthru is copyrighted 1992 by Scorpia, all rights reserved.